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The US State Department, in coordination with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), has confirmed that the Employment-Based Second Preference (EB-2) category has reached its annual limit for fiscal year 2025. Since all available EB-2 visas for FY 2025 have been issued, the US will not issue more visas in this category for the remainder of the fiscal year, till September 30, 2025.US immigration law caps EB-2 visas at 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based visa limit under INA 203(b)(2). The embassies and consulates will begin visa issuance in this category from October 1, 2025.What is EB-2 categoryThe employment-based preference system in the US allocates immigrant visas across categories to balance opportunities for skilled workers, professionals, and investors. Within this broader category, the EB-2 accounts for 28.6% of the worldwide employment-based quota. It is offered to individuals with advanced degrees such as a master’s or higher, or a bachelor’s degree with at least five years of progressive experience. It also covers individuals with exceptional ability in their fields, including science, business, or the arts, whose skills are considered valuable to the US economy and national interest.Why the annual limit reach matters for Indian applicantsIndian professionals in EB-2 face further delays in obtaining priority dates. With the EB-2 category officially unavailable until the next fiscal year, no new applications can be processed, even if priority dates fall within the cut-off. Only when the new fiscal year begins, will the category reopen for qualified applicants, i.e., from October 1, 2025. India faces some of the longest waits for employment-based green cards, especially in the EB-2 and EB-3 categories. The September 2025 Visa Bulletin shows no movement in final priority dates for Indian applicants, highlighting years of backlog and limited visa availability. The final action date for EB-2 applicants from India remains at January 1, 2013, meaning only applicants with priority dates before that can proceed.Although EB-5 investor-category applicants from India saw encouraging progress in August 2025, with final action dates advancing by months, those in EB-2 and EB-3 did not benefit from these changes.

Shares of Vikran Engineering climbed on their first day of trading Wednesday, rising about 5% from the IPO price in a Rs 772-crore offering backed by marquee investors Mukul Agrawal and Ashish Kacholia, although the gains fell short of grey-market expectations.The stock listed at Rs 99.70 on the BSE, 2.8% above its IPO price of Rs 97, and at Rs 99 on the NSE, a 2% premium. Momentum held throughout the session, with shares advancing to an intraday high of Rs 101.73 on the BSE and Rs 101.77 on the NSE, up 4.9% from opening levels.The performance fell short of the last grey market premium (GMP) of Rs 7, which had implied an expected upside of 7.2%.Investor interest vs market realityWhile the IPO drew heavy investor demand, subscribed nearly 25 times across qualified institutional buyers, non-institutional investors, and retail bidders, post-listing trading did not fully reflect this enthusiasm. GMP signals had already suggested a modest gain of 4–7%, which slipped steadily through the subscription period.Priced at Rs 97 per share, the issue comprised a Rs 721-crore fresh issue and a Rs 51-crore offer for sale, valuing the company at about Rs 2,500 crore post-listing.Analyst viewsShivani Nyati, Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart, described the debut as “modest,” with listing gains of just 2.7% above the issue price. She noted that Vikran Engineering operates as “a leading EPC player in power transmission, water infrastructure, and railway electrification projects, with an asset-light model and a strong execution track record.”The company has “robust growth visibility backed by a Rs 2,442 crore order book, supported by government infrastructure spending,” Nyati said, recommending investors hold with a stop-loss near Rs 89 “to safeguard against volatility, as execution of the strong order pipeline could drive medium-term upside.”Backed by marquee investorsFounded in 2008 and headquartered in Thane, Vikran Engineering counts marquee backers including Ashish Kacholia, Mukul Agrawal, and The Wealth Company (via India Inflection Opportunity Fund).The company specializes in turnkey EPC projects in power transmission, water supply, and railway electrification, with completed projects across 14 states and ongoing work worth Rs 5,120 crore as of June 2025.Financials and valuationRevenue grew at a 32% CAGR between FY23 and FY25, reaching Rs 916 crore, while net profit climbed to Rs 78 crore from Rs 43 crore. The company follows an asset-light model by leasing equipment, aiding margins and returns.Brokerage houses had mixed pre-listing views. SBI Securities pegged the issue at a FY25 P/E of 32.1x, noting Vikran’s “highest profitability margins” among peers like Kalpataru Projects International and KEC International but maintained a "Neutral" stance.Anand Rathi called the IPO “fully priced” but rated it "Subscribe for Long Term" based on scalability and sector tailwinds. Reliance Securities cited strong credentials and government-aligned growth, recommending "Subscribe."Also read | Ashish Kacholia-invested Vikran Engineering shares list at 3% premium over IPO price(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views, and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Shares of Apollo Micro Systems (AMS) continued their upward momentum for the fourth consecutive trading session on Wednesday, surging as much as 3.76% intraday to hit a new 52-week high of Rs 303. However, some profit booking was seen by mid-morning, with the stock trading 2% higher at Rs 298.40 as of 10:50 AM.AMS has been on a strong bullish trajectory over the past six months, delivering an impressive 160% return during this period. This performance makes it one of the best-performing stocks in India’s defence sector, pushing its market capitalisation close to Rs 10,000 crore.During the same period, other major defence stocks also delivered strong returns, though trailing AMS. Astra Microwave Products gained 70%, BEML rose 66%, Paras Defence and Space Technologies advanced 53%, while Bharat Electronics registered a 52% increase.Recent Order: Notably, on August 21, the company announced the receipt of significant contracts, including a Rs 25.12 crore order from DRDO, along with additional orders from various PSUs, further strengthening its already healthy order book.Financially, AMS posted solid results for the April–June 2025 quarter, with revenue growing 46% year-on-year to Rs 133.6 crore, up from Rs 91.2 crore in the same quarter last year.With strong fundamentals, consistent order wins, and investor optimism around the defence sector, Apollo Micro Systems remains a key stock to watch in the coming months.Technical Overview – Apollo Micro SystemsFrom a technical standpoint, Apollo Micro Systems appears to be in a strongly overbought zone. The 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) currently stands at 86.3, which is well above the typical overbought threshold of 80. This suggests that while the bullish momentum is strong, the stock may be due for a short-term pullback or consolidation.Additionally, the stock is showing strong bullish signals across moving averages, as it is trading above all 8 key Simple Moving Averages (SMAs) — ranging from the 5-day to the 200-day SMA. This indicates a solid uptrend and sustained investor confidence over both short-term and long-term periods.